Agenda item

(Director of Neighbourhoods) To consider the attached report on the current position of the Local Plan.

The Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Neighbourhoods, D Macnab, reported that there had been extensive consultation with local councils over the course of the draft Local Plan (LP). A database of respondents had built considerably and now numbered around 13,000. The Council had published the Submission version of the LP on 14 December 2017 to seek representations on its soundness and legal compliance. This consultation (Regulation 19) had received around 1,000 responses, which were currently being processed by officers, for the Inspector to consider. As the Government was proposing a new Housing Delivery Test, if the Council was to delay its LP submission for Independent Examination beyond the March 2018 deadline, it might have to build some 923 houses per annum instead of 518 – the quota currently identified as the District’s housing requirement. A programme officer to support the Inspector while the LP was undergoing examination, had been secured. This officer was familiar with the process and with the Epping Forest District area.

Moving forward from plan making to plan implementation, the Council had agreed to the production of ‘strategic masterplans’ and to the introduction of Planning Performance Agreements. It had also been agreed that additional staff resourcing would be required to implement the proposed new LP, specifically for the required growth in housing, employment and infrastructure. The Developer Forum, for sites around Harlow and the rest of the District, would hold its next meeting on 26 February 2018. The Planning Policy team was liaising with relevant landowners / developers through the Developer Forum and had commenced individual meetings on the masterplan areas. The Garden Town Forum specifically co-ordinated the sites in Harlow and East Herts Districts and a project director, C Hamilton, had now been appointed. She would be based here at Epping, and also partly at East Herts District Council. In terms of the Gilston Garden Town, the Council was still pursuing external funding for further work on the transport corridor. The Garden Town funding of £175,000 secured in 2017/18 had been ring-fenced to support the setting up of a Quality Review Panel. Consultants had been appointed to prepare a spatial vision and design charter. Also a pool of seventeen external professionals had been appointed to drawn on their expertise and advice would be sought when schemes were presented to the Review Panel.

Councillor A Patel queried the Government’s Housing Delivery Test and if there was under-delivery, would a presumption in favour of development apply.

Councillor J Philip, Planning and Governance Portfolio Holder, replied that the Council did not think this test was suitable but the presumption was that it was suitable. The planning committees were the only influence but they could decide that there were other mitigating factors and list them. There would also be training for members on the planning committees in February. Development Management colleagues must also give weight to the LP and where they could find arguments to support any development according to the LP.

Councillor G Chambers asked how the consultation representations received under Regulation 19 would be presented.

The Director of Neighbourhoods replied that there was a requirement to take all the representations and correlate them against the policies in the LP They would all be published and he advised members that there would be a Local Plan Cabinet Committee meeting arranged in May when it would be reported. He also explained that the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIF) might come in later, or not at all, as at this stage officers did not know whether it would be beneficial to the Council. The Council would have to adopt the LP first and then check on CIFs.

Councillor C P Pond asked if the Inspector would have access to all the responses submitted and would they be accepted in all formats i.e. as paper, email and on the forms.

The Director of Neighbourhoods emphasised that the Inspector would have access to every single comment indexed against the LP policies. Councillor J Jennings was pleased as this would not penalise respondents who had not used the formal response form.

Councillor S Neville asked if there was a chance that these responses would delay the Inspector.

Councillor J Philip said that the Inspector would take all the representations that the Council had received during the Regulation 19 consultation and that this would be in time for the Council to submit the LP for public examination before the end of March 2018. As the Council was an authority with a significant amount of Green Belt Land it would be dealt with correctly. The Inspector might ask for additional clarification on some sites or could instruct the Council to make modifications.

Councillor J H Whitehouse said that the pressure should be on developers to build more sites and asked for more information on the Quality Review Panel.

Councillor J Philip replied that the Government had said that national planning policies could not change this. There were incentives. Encouraging developers to build was one and therefore the developer forums were useful in this respect. There were also planning performance agreements, which were a reflection on their commitment to develop. The Council had a duty to cooperate with partners on infrastructure development and an interest to join in and unlock sites by having an infrastructure. Information on the membership of the Quality Review Panel and their areas of expertise would be published in the Members Bulletin. They had been initially appointed under the auspices of the Garden Town Forum.

Councillor S Kane asked about the future format of the masterplanning exercise and where were we on changing the planning committees.

Councillor J Philip commented that there appeared to be increasing dichotomies on any changes to the planning committees. However, masterplanning would involve members. It was important to find a way forward and to make sure that these masterplan areas were better places for people to live and work in.

            Agreed:

            Director of Neighbourhoods – to publish in the Members Bulletin information of the membership of the Quality Review Panel and their areas of expertise.